- A heat reclaimer captures heat from your stove’s exhaust before it exits the chimney and recirculates it into the room — genuinely useful on an older, inefficient stove that’s still sending a lot of heat straight up the flue.
- On a newer, EPA-certified stove with good baffling, there’s less spare heat left in the exhaust to reclaim, and pulling more heat out of the flue can actually increase creosote buildup and chimney fire risk by cooling the exhaust too much.
- If you use one, a UL-listed model and regular chimney cleaning matter — this isn’t a device to install and forget.
A heat reclaimer is a small heat-exchanger unit that mounts in your stovepipe, pulls some of the heat out of the exhaust gas before it leaves the chimney, and blows that heat back into the room instead of letting it escape. Whether it’s worth installing depends heavily on how efficient your stove already is.
Do You Need One?
An older stove — an unbaffled barrel stove, or a cheaper “ranch”-style box stove without good air control — typically sends a lot of usable heat straight up the flue unburned. A heat reclaimer can meaningfully improve how much of that heat actually ends up warming your room. A newer, EPA-certified stove with internal baffling and better combustion control has already extracted more heat before the exhaust reaches the pipe, leaving less to reclaim — and pulling out more heat than the system is designed to lose can drop flue gas temperature enough to encourage creosote condensation, which is a real chimney fire risk, not just an efficiency question. One heat reclaimer manufacturer’s own safety guidance is explicit about this: their products are engineered to only operate where flue temperatures stay above roughly 350°F, specifically to avoid dropping the exhaust into the range where creosote separates out and collects in the chimney.
If you do install one, two things matter for doing it safely: choose a UL-listed unit rather than an off-brand model with no listing, and commit to cleaning your chimney more frequently than you would otherwise — pulling extra heat out of the flue is, by design, cooling the exhaust more than a stove without a reclaimer would, which is exactly the condition that lets creosote build up faster.
My favorite heat reclaimer
- Made to be quiet and dependable, our wood stove heat reclaimer is designed with a 100 CFM fan that manages and circulates heat to improve the efficiency of the furnace it is connected to
If a reclaimer is a good fit for your setup, here’s a closer look at five current options.
The 5 Best Heat Reclaimers
1. The HY-C Magic Heat Reclaimer
The HY-C Magic Heat Reclaimer is a popular heat reclaimer for wood-burning heating systems. It features a crimp-down configuration that allows it to fit a 6″ flue diameter, and it has a soot scraper built in to clean the tubes internally.
It also has a toggle switch that allows its powerful fan to operate in either thermostat control mode or run continuously. The heat reclaimer is constructed in the United States, and it comes with a one-year limited guarantee. The reclaimer installation is straightforward as it plugs into any standard 110V household outlet.
Pros:
- It is simple to install
- Internal soot scraper included for tubes
- Two-mode 225 CFM fan operation
Cons:
- Some buyers claimed it was unsafe.
Video overview
2. The US Stove MH6 Miracle Heat Reclaimer
The US Stove MH6 Miracle Heat 6-Inch Heat Reclaimer is a top-quality product that can improve the efficiency of your older stove or furnace. It is automatic in its operation and the installation is hassle-free. All you only need to mount it on the outside of your stove or furnace.
The MH6 is fully sealed from flue gases and is compatible with all coal or wood stoves. In addition, it features an ultra-quiet blower which makes it very effective in circulating heat around your home.
The reclaimer weighs just 11.9 pounds and measures 15.5 x 12.5 x 13 inches, making it a compact and lightweight unit that is easy to store when not in use. Overall, the US Stove MH6 Miracle Heat Reclaimer is excellent for anyone looking for a high-quality and effective heat reclaimer.
Pros:
- Improves efficiency of older stoves
- Automatic operation
- Ultra-quiet blower
- Compact and lightweight
Cons:
- It is noisy
Video overview
3. The US Stove HR-6 Vogelzang Heat Reclaimer
The HR-6 Heat Reclaimer is a completely automated, quiet blower for all coal or wood stoves with a 6-inch flue pipe. This unit will significantly increase the efficiency of your stove by reclaiming lost heat and circulating it back into your home.
The HR-6 is completely gas-tight, allowing you to raise the efficiency of your stove while maintaining a safe and effective technique. This unit’s wide compatibility makes it a versatile addition to any home.
Pros:
- Fully automatic and quiet
- Fits all coal or wood stoves with a 6-inch flue pipe
- Sealed from flue gases
- Increases the efficiency of your stove
Cons:
- May is not fit all stove models perfectly.
4. The HY-C MH-8R Magic Heat Reclaimer
If you have a wood-burning stove, you know that a lot of the heat goes up the chimney and is wasted. But with the HY-C MH-8R Magic Heat Reclaimer, you can reclaim some of that heat and put it back into your home!
This UL-listed heat reclaimer is designed for use with wood-burning systems, and it can reclaim up to 30% of the heat that would otherwise be lost. It takes a few minutes to install and plugs into any standard 110V household outlet.
Plus, the onboard soot scraper cleans the tubes internally for optimum performance. Get the most out of your wood-burning stove with the HY-C MH-8R Magic Heat Reclaimer.
Pros:
- Easy DIY installation
- Plugs into standard 110V outlet
- Onboard soot scraper cleans tubes internally
Cons:
- Too much noise
5. The US Stove MH8 Miracle Heat Reclaimer
We all know that a lot of heat is lost up the chimney, and the MH8 Miracle Heat Reclaimer is designed to reclaim some of that heat. It’s fairly quiet and fully automated, so it’s simple to use, and the installation is a snap.
The MH8 is completely sealed to flue gases, allowing your stove to run efficiently and allowing it to be installed up to 24 inches away from the stove in an 8-inch stove pipe. If you’re looking to save some money on your heating bill, the US Stove MH8 Miracle Heat Reclaimer is a great choice.
Pros:
- Ultra-quiet blower
- Fully automatic operation
- Effortless installation
- Sealed from flue gases
Cons:
- Hard to take apart
FAQs
How does a heat reclaimer work?
A heat reclaimer typically consists of a blower and a heat exchange unit. The blower circulates the air in your home, and the heat exchange unit captures the heat from your chimney and recirculates it back into your home.
What are the benefits of using a heat reclaimer?
Using a heat reclaimer can help improve the efficiency of your wood-burning stove, saving you money on your heating bill. It can also help to reduce the amount of heat lost through your chimney, making your home more comfortable.
What are some things to consider when choosing a heat reclaimer?
Match the unit to your flue diameter, confirm it’s UL-listed, and check the manufacturer’s minimum flue temperature requirement against how your specific stove actually runs — a reclaimer designed for a hot-running old stove isn’t necessarily a good fit for a cooler-running modern one. Most models mount in a matter of minutes without a professional, though a chimney sweep or stove installer can advise if you’re unsure whether your setup is a good candidate.
The Bottom Line
A heat reclaimer earns its keep on an older, less efficient stove that’s genuinely wasting heat up the flue — less so on a newer, well-baffled one, where there’s less spare heat to reclaim and a real risk of encouraging creosote buildup by cooling the exhaust further than it’s designed to run. If your stove is a good fit, choose a UL-listed unit sized for your flue, and treat regular chimney cleaning as part of the deal rather than an afterthought.
Hi, my name’s Eugene Duke and I love sitting by my fireplace reading a book and sipping on an adult beverage. Do you have a fireplace in your house? I’ll help you figure out the best type and style of fireplace for your home.